THE Severn Bridge is marking its 60th anniversary this week, six decades after the landmark crossing transformed travel between the Forest of Dean, South Wales and the West Country.

It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 1966, creating a direct road connection across the Severn and dramatically changing journeys for communities around Beachley, Tidenham, Chepstow and up the Wye Valley.

Before the bridge, a ferry operated between Beachley and Aust for centuries, with records suggesting crossings dated back as far as Roman times.

By the 20th century, the ferry was carrying cars between the two sides of the river, although larger vehicles still faced lengthy journeys via Gloucester.

As road traffic increased WWII, the need for a permanent crossing became increasingly apparent.

Construction of the Severn Bridge began in 1961, with work on its huge steel superstructure getting under way two years later.

When it opened five years later, the bridge represented a major feat of British engineering.

Its main suspension span stretched for almost 988 metres and its innovative design would go on to influence bridges around the world.

Historic England describes it as the first bridge in the world to combine an aerodynamically shaped deck with inclined suspension hangers.

The wider crossing also included the Wye Bridge, carrying motorists between Beachley in England and Chepstow in Wales.

Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the crossing 60 years ago yesterday (Tuesday) accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh.

The Aust to Beachley ferry made its final crossings as the bridge opened, having carried an unlikely famous passenger just months earlier.

Bob Dylan was photographed waiting at Aust in May 1966 while travelling between Bristol and Cardiff during his celebrated and controversial ‘electric” tour.

Bob Dylan waits at the Aust Ferry terminal in May 1966 while travelling from Bristol to Cardiff, with the nearly completed Severn Bridge behind him. The ferry to Beachley closed when the new crossing opened later that year.
SEVERN FERRY REVISITED: Bob Dylan waits at the Aust Ferry terminal in May 1966 while travelling from Bristol to Cardiff, with the nearly completed Severn Bridge behind him. The ferry to Beachley closed when the new crossing opened later that year. (Barry Feinstein)

Behind him stood the almost completed Severn Bridge, creating an image which captured the old and new ways of crossing the river at the same moment.

The bridge made journeys between the two sides of the Severn considerably easier, although using it came with a toll, which was initially two shillings and sixpence (12.5 pence) when the crossing first opened.

The Government committed to building a second crossing in the 1980s and the Second Severn Crossing opened in 1996, exactly 30 years after the original.

Now known as the Prince of Wales Bridge, the newer crossing became the main M4 route across the Severn, with the original bridge becoming part of the M48.

Another major change came in December 2018 when tolls were abolished after 52 years, ending at least an 800-year history of paying to cross.

Despite no longer carrying the main M4, the original bridge remains an important transport link and one of the most recognisable landmarks on the border between England and Wales.

Its engineering significance has also been formally recognised, with the Severn Bridge and Aust Viaduct given Grade I listed status.

The Severn Bridge under construction in the 1960s, before the landmark crossing between Aust and Beachley opened to traffic in September 1966.
TAKING SHAPE: The Severn Bridge under construction in the 1960s, before the landmark crossing between Aust and Beachley opened to traffic in September 1966. (Ben Brooksbank)

Its western end reaches Beachley, placing one of Britain's most significant pieces of 20th century transport infrastructure on the doorstep of the Forest and Wye Valley.

Sixty years on, thousands of motorists continue to use a bridge which fundamentally changed the way people travelled across the Severn.